Syracuse man accused of trading heroin for stolen guns

Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse man was arraigned today on a sealed indictment accusing him of trading heroin for guns stolen in a suburban burglary this summer.

Alnuqueet Paschall, 26, of Danforth Street, was arraigned before Onondaga County Judge William Walsh on two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Kasmarek said the charges relate to three semi-automatic handguns stolen from a home on Taylor Road in DeWitt in July.

Kasmarek said the weapons were traded to Paschall for heroin within 24 hours of the break-in. The guns have not been recovered.

“I can only assume they have passed into the hands of those who would want them for unlawful purposes,” the prosecutor said. They could be “anywhere” by now, Kasmarek added.

“Once weapons enter the stream of commerce, it could be years, months, days before they show up in a crime,” he said. Because authorities do not have any ballistics evidence from the weapons, it won’t be known whether these specific guns get used in any crimes unless the guns themselves are recovered, Kasmarek added.

The prosecutor said second-degree possession charges were filed for two of the guns because they were 9 mm handguns and a box of 9 mm ammunition also was stolen in the break-in. The third gun, a .40-caliber handgun, was only charged as a third-degree possession count because there was no ammunition for it when it was stolen, Kasmarek said.

Paschall could face up to 15 years in state prison for the second-degree charges.

Walsh set bail at $50,000 and adjourned the case to next week for a further discussion with Kasmarek and defense lawyer Terrance Hoffmann.